News & Stats

News

23,317 On-Hand To See Ruthenia & Zucchini Flower Take Sunday Stakes

Sunday, May 26, 2013

A packed house of 23,317 were on-hand at Monmouth Park on
Sunday to witness Zucchini Flower capture the $75,000 Monmouth Beach Stakes and
Ruthenia report home a winner in the $75,000 Miss Liberty Stakes.

Owned by
Virginia Kraft Payson LLC, Ruthenia swung wide
for the drive before storming to the lead in mid-stretch and posting a length
victory in the mile and a sixteenth turf event.Ruthenia stopped the timer in 1:42 flat
over firm turf and paid $5, $3.60 and $2.40 as the favorite in the field of
nine fillies and mares.Namaskara
rallied to complete the $34.40 exacta and paid $5 and $3.It was another length and a quarter back to
Street Secret ($2.20) and Dinner’s Out ($4) who dead-heated for the show.

“She was
travelling along so well and turning for home all she needed was daylight and
she took off,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo.“She’s a pile of fire.You have
to try to contain it as long as possible.”

Trained by
Christophe Clement, Ruthenia is a 5-year-old
mare by Pulpit from the Rahy mare Ruthian.She has now banked $298,635 for her connections.

One race
earlier, Zucchini Flower stalked Winiliscious down the backstretch before
powering past that rival at the top of the lane and posting a 3 ¾ length
victory in the Monmouth
Beach.

Trained by
H. Graham Motion, Zucchini Flower went the mile and 70 yards over a fast main
track in 1:39 4/5 and paid $9.60, $4.60 and $3.Winiliscious held the place, paying $4.80 and $3.20 and completing a
$49.80 exacta.It was another length and
a quarter back to Daydreamin Gracie, who paid $2.80 to show.

“The race
set up perfectly,” said winning rider Jeremy Rose.“She drew outside and that’s where she prefers
to be.We tracked the speed and once we
turned for home she switched leads and took off.She’s a very talented filly.”

A 4-year-old
daughter of Flower Alley from the Silver Buck mare Heathers Promsie, Zucchini
Flower races in the colors of Albert Frassetto. She now has a record of 4-2-2
from 15 starts, good for $177,665 in earnings.

Live racing
continues at Monmouth
Park on Monday, May 27
for a Memorial Day holiday card.First
post is 12:50 p.m.